Shiraz Grille celebrates Persian New Year

Emily Zoladz | The Grand Rapids PressAli Ghebleh, owner of Shiraz Grille, lights candles on a Haft-Sinn on Wednesday to celebrate Persian New Year, or Noruz, at the Persian and Middle Eastern fine dinning restaurant. The restaurant will be celebrating the holiday from March 20- April 3 in tradition with the 13 days celebrated in Iran. Haft-Sinn translates to "Seven S" and holds seven symbolic items representing things like renewal, wealth and fertility. GRAND RAPIDS -- At exactly 1:32 p.m. Saturday, many area residents will hug their family members and start calling relatives.

They will be celebrating Noruz, or "New Day" -- the Persian New Year.

It begins on the first day of spring, at the exact moment the sun crosses the equator, said Ali Ghebleh, owner and head chef of Persian restaurant Shiraz Grille, 2739 Breton Road SE. To observe the holiday and educate visitors, the restaurant will feature special menu items and a traditional table families often set up for Noruz.

The celebration, which runs 13 days, has a history that stretches back thousands of years, said Jim Goode, a Grand Valley State University Middle East and Islamic history professor and Middle East Studies Program coordinator During the festivities, family members give each other presents, and children often receive new clothes, he said.

The holiday symbolizes a time of growth and rebirth for the Earth and its people, Ghebleh said.

Ghebleh, who emigrated from Iran in 1978, remembered Noruz celebrations from his childhood -- especially the last day of the festivities, when families go picnicking.

"All of our parents would pack up and go out," he said.

Ghebleh has hosted private Noruz celebrations in the past, but this is the first time he will offer one through the restaurant, which opened nearly a year ago.

The traditional "haft-seen" table, which families usually set up the night before festivities begin, already has been put together at Shiraz Grille. The table traditionally consists of at least seven items starting with the letter "s" that symbolize the meaning behind the new year, Ghebleh said.

The most important part of the table is sabzi, which features a plate of lentil sprouts and represents rebirth. Herbs are also important ingredient in traditional Noruz foods.

In the center of Shiraz Grille's table, a fish swam in a small bowl, symbolizing life and freedom, Ghebleh said.

"People have asked me, 'Why a fish?' and I answer, 'I can't put a lamb on a table,'" he joked.

Grand Rapids does not have a large Persian population, Ghebleh said, but people seem interested in the celebration and the restaurant seems to bring fellow Iranians out of the woodwork.